Have psychologists found a better way to persuade people to save the planet?

In the 1990s, psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, developed a scientific theory to account for all the prejudice and violence in the world. Social dominance theory, which attributes sexism and racism (among other isms) to the way humanity organises its social structures, can be used to explain everything from opposition to welfare policies to why we go to war.

Put simply, the theory states that people with power will always seek more of the desirable things in life (as they see it) at the expense of their subordinates.

Today, researchers are applying social dominance theory to try to understand an even broader scope of behaviours. Two recent studies relate people’s views on social equality to how they think and act on environmental issues such as climate change and conservation. The findings hint at radical new ways to increase support for measures that will make the planet more sustainable for all who live on it.

A sample of research articles exploring biases in early visual processing, action-inaction framing and escalation of commitment, socioemotional interventions for institutionally reared chimpanzees, and prenatal stress as both a risk and opportunity… More

A sample of research articles exploring the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying math achievement, genetic and environmental links with divorce, developmental pathways to literacy, and the temporal dynamics of food choices… More